Author: The Pip

The long days of summer are drawing to a close. The new school semester can bring with it excitement but also some stress for the whole family. Here we give you some tips to help.

Organisation is key: Our minds do not like having unfinished tasks. Much like an app running in the background of a smartphone will drain the battery, having a huge list of unfinished tasks will drain your mental ability to complete tasks [1]. One way to help you focus is to write down what you are going to do and when. Have to buy uniforms? Write that down in the diary for Wednesday. Stocking up on food for school lunches? That’s a task for Sunday. The simple act of planning exactly when you will do something turns off that background fretting leaving your mind clear and focused [2].

Give them some control: Feeling in control of your life is a big predictor of health and happiness [3]. Children and teens don’t have much control over the big things but you can give them control over the small things. Let them choose what pencil case they want for the year or what healthy lunch they want on the first day back. This will make them excited about using their new things, and therefore about going to school, as well as giving them a stress-busting sense of control over a big change in their lives.

Adjust to regular bedtimes: Sleep is important for everyone but it is particularly crucial for children and teens. Sleep disruption is more damaging for children and teens than for adults. Children under 12 need as much as 10-12 hours of sleep per night and teenagers need 8-9 hours to be able to concentrate at school and to help their brains develop [4] (See our earlier blog on tips to help sleep). Start earlier bedtimes a few days before they go back to school to help children adjust to a new schedule after a summer of freedom. This will avoid sleepy tears (both yours and theirs!) on the first day back and help them to enjoy their first day of a new school term.

Children are very attune to emotions and can pick up on your stresses and anxieties without you realising so don’t forget to look after yourself as well. Take some time out to relax and enjoy the last days of summer as you prepare for the new school term.

Imagine what you will be doing, who you will be hanging out with and how you will feel.

Can you do it?

If you found you could vividly imagine this you are connected to your future self. If you found it more difficult that’s understandable, 20 years is a very long time and a lot can happen.

We don’t really know how to predict the future, we can only make a guess based on our present. And yet we have to make decisions about our future selves all of the time. Should you look after yourself now to avoid health problems 10 years down the line? Will you be happy in 20 years if you marry your partner? Do you really want to cut your disposable income now to save for a pension? All of these are decisions that you have to make for your future self.

It turns out that we can predict how people will behave in the present based on how similar or dissimilar they feel to their future selves. For example, people who feel similar to their future selves are more likely to put off easy rewards now for bigger ones in the future (remember the Marshmallow Test? See link here) [1].

In fact, one group of researchers took this to extremes. They took pictures of participants and manipulated them so that they looked a lot older than they really were. They then put the participants in a virtual reality environment in which they looked in the mirror and saw either their present face or their older face. Afterwards, the participants did a monetary task in which they decided how much they would save for retirement. People who had seen the photo of their older selves saved a lot more than people who had seen their current photo [1].

Other research has shown that it’s not just about knowing that you will need something in the future but actually recognising that you have control over making it happen. People’s perception of the level of control they have over ageing, for example staying healthy and socially active, predicts how likely they are to plan financially for the future [2].

When it comes to decisions about the future it can be easy to put them off. “What will it matter if I hold off on starting a pension for another 5 or 10 years?” we say. Well actually it might make a big difference but if our future selves seem like distant other people it can be hard to feel empathy. If you’re a procrastinator when it comes to your pension why not try an exercise? Really try to imagine what you will be like in 20 years, what you will need and what you might regret doing or not doing that you have control over now.

And if you really need some external help upload a photo of yourself looking disappointed here: http://in20years.com/. Seeing your future self frowning at your present self might just spur you into action.

References

Hershfield, H. E. (2011). Future self‐continuity: how conceptions of the future self transform intertemporal choice. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1235(1), 30-43.

Yes you know that we all eat too much sugar. Yes you know that you should eat low GI foods for slower energy release and that you should really put that chocolate bar down and reach for the nuts.

But you have a meeting in 15 minutes, you don’t have any nuts and the vending machine is right there.

Sometimes knowledge isn’t the problem, it’s the practicalities. This is why research in the science behind ‘nudging’ or guiding behaviour has exploded in recent years (e.g. [1]).

An example of this involves moving snacks from arm reach to just out of arm reach. One group of researchers actually tested this. They placed a bowl of chocolate M&Ms either 20cm, 70cm or 140cm away from people and then measured how many M&Ms they ate. The further the M&Ms were from people, the less they ate [2]. That is despite the fact that it isn’t a huge effort to reach 140cm for something that you want.

Most of our behaviour is governed by unconscious processes or habits. We reach for the M&Ms because they are there. We may not even think about it, we may reach for them while talking to someone just to have something to do. Before we know it we’ve eaten a family-size pack.

Another study found that when a cafeteria moved the crisps away from healthy lunch food people were far less likely to buy crisps [3].

In a hospital cafeteria researchers found that labelling some foods as unhealthy and placing those below eye level reduced the number of people eating them [4].

A recent summary of all of the research in this area so far concluded that these types of changes to the position or availability of food can make a difference to people’s choice of foods [5].

Some people might argue that they don’t like the implications of an organisation or their workplace deciding on their behaviour. The reality is though that most of us live relatively sedentary lives with high sugar and high fat diets. Most of us, if we were asked, would probably say that we would like to be healthier. If you were told that there was a way for you to eat healthier without conscious effort or change would you do it? Probably.

Someone has to make a decision about where food is placed in a cafeteria. Most of the time it is decided by the brand or by the retailer. If you want to encourage yourself and your colleagues to lead a healthier lifestyle why not take back control by deciding on the positioning yourselves and nudge you and your colleagues into a healthier diet in the workplace.

Want to know the fundamental laws of physics? Need a recipe for meringue? Learning a new language?

With a few taps of our fingers our smartphones, laptops, tablets, e-readers and even watches can transport us into a world of discovery.

But do you ever spend time just thinking?

New York Times columnist David Leonhardt reports that new business formation in the U.S. has declined over the past 15 years [1]. This is surprising in light of the digital revolution and all of the resources it provides for learning. In fact, the average person spends over 5 hours on their phone every day [2].

Yet with all of this information that we are bombarded with do we have time to reflect on what we are learning?

This, David Leonhardt suggests, may be one reason why business development has stalled [1]. Our constant ‘on’ switch means that we don’t have time to sit idle and let our font of creativity and imagination bubble up; something that is of fundamental importance for new ideas and resulting businesses.

Indeed, he cites past U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz who used to take one hour each week to sit, uninterrupted, with a pad of paper and a pen just to think and reflect.

Can you imagine doing this? It is difficult. We are so connected, so attached to our phones that the thought of an hour without checking emails, WhatsApp, social media and phone calls seems unrealistic. We are all guilty of using our phones as anti-boredom devices the minute we are not occupied by something.

The problem is that we rarely find time to finish a thought. Our minds can only hold so much information at once. Wandering through multiple unfinished tasks in our minds can actually affect both our mood and our ability to think clearly [3, 4].

As the New York Times suggests maybe we should all consider taking a ‘Shultz hour’, at least occasionally. If you consider how much time we spend aimlessly scrolling through our phones we can certainly fit at least half an hour in. Here are some suggestions:

One morning or evening commute as designated technology-free thinking time.

Delay going home from work for half an hour to give yourself thinking space.

Take one weekend morning before you get up to lie back and reflect.

Let’s be honest, giving yourself time to ponder something – be it an interesting problem or idea you came across during the week or just personal reflection – will leave you with a lot more headspace than you would get from scrolling through the latest photos on Facebook. Maybe a ‘Shultz hour’ will be something we’re all doing next year.

Each of these things drive each of us to a lesser or greater degree. But there is something that rarely appears on these types of lists that may be even more important: having a sense of purpose.

Having purpose in life means that you find meaning in something you do and goals that direct you towards it. This isn’t specific to the workplace, it can be any aspect of your life whether it is in your job, home life, community or other.

You may find meaning in your role as a parent, a friend, a sibling or a spouse. Your relationships with other people and caring for those people when they need you may be what gives your life meaning.

Or it may be your work. You know that your role in the workplace, no matter how small or big, is an important cog that keeps everything running smoothly. Your purpose may be doing that job to the best of your abilities whether for the work itself or to support colleagues.

Why is purpose so important? Well multiple studies have shown that having a purpose in life is hugely protective when it comes to health. People with a stronger purpose in life are less likely to suffer from depression [1], have a lower risk of heart attacks [3] and are even less likely to develop Alzheimer’s Disease [3].

It’s not yet entirely clear why but recent research suggests that it may be to do with stress. One group of researchers found that people who have a higher purpose in life are better at recovering emotionally from seeing something negative than those without a sense of purpose [4]. Having a purpose in life may help people to reframe stressful situations and therefore build resilience.

All of us have parts of our lives that we find meaningful and others that we don’t. If you feel a strong purpose in life – that’s great. It is likely to not only protect your psychological well-being but also your health.

However there are many times in our lives where we don’t feel a sense of purpose and that’s ok. We all go through phases that are more meaningful than others.

If you feel that it has been a while since you had a goal or a sense of purpose it may be worth taking stock. Is there something that you would like to do that feels important to you? It doesn’t have to be a dramatic change. It may be trying out a volunteering activity that you’ve been interested in but never done. It may be reacquainting yourself with something you used to find meaning in but which you have let slip. Or it may be taking the first step towards a career aspiration that you have harboured but not acted on.

As one researcher put it “happiness is everything, or is it?” [5]. Sometimes having a sense of purpose is just as, if not more, important for your overall well-being.

What’s New in Version 1.2.0

We’ve added a new introduction sequence for first time Pip users.

This version incorporates My Pip – now you can access your My Pip dashboard from within the app.

PipHub now supports shared sign in for all your Pip apps: sign in or sign up to My Pip, choose to share your sign in info, and all your other Pip apps will use this info to automatically sign in. (Note: this feature requires that you update your Pip Apps to versions supporting shared sign-in).

We are happy and proud to announce the launch of Mandala Universe, the most recent addition to our suite of Apps, where you can relax while enjoying an outer space adventure (experience) with Piper, our co-captain onboard of your space ship. The captain? You are!

With Mandala Universe you embark on an experience that brings you to a new world of possibilities and adventure where friendly aliens help you unlock and navigate new and exciting galaxies while prompting you to use your Pip inner power to reach far and beyond in the quest to the ultimate state of relaxation (calm, nirvana

You’ve had a tough few months in work. You were assigned to a new project 6 months ago and the learning curve was steep. You’re pretty exhausted but you’ve learnt a lot. In fact, when you look back you can’t believe just how much you know now that you didn’t know then.

But did you know that it’s not only your knowledge that has increased? Your brain has physically grown in size as well.

Every time you learn something new you shape your brain’s internal connections. Remember Pavlov’s dogs? (see link to blog here) Pavlov trained his dogs to associate the sound of a bell ringing with food. Whenever the bell was rung they started drooling. What happened in the brain is called Hebbian learning [1].

Initially, the part of the dog’s brain that controls drool was completely independent from the part that controls hearing. When the dogs saw food the part of their brain that controls drool would jump into action but the hearing part would be dormant. Because Pavlov kept ringing the bell whenever the dogs were drooling their brain connection changed. They developed a physical connection between the hearing and drooling parts of their brain.

This means that whenever you learn something new you physically change your brain.

This becomes even more fascinating when we consider the more complicated tasks that we all do in school or the workplace.

Researchers in Germany examined this when they studied the brains of students studying for final exams. They put students in a brain scanner so that they could see the size of different parts of their brains on three different occasions: while they were studying, while they were doing the exams and when they had finished.

They found that between studying and finishing the exams the part of the brain responsible for memory had physically grown in size. Not only that but it kept growing even 3 months after the students had finished their exams [2].

Sure, bigger is not always better but in the case of your brain it is usually a good thing. In fact, increasing the size of your brain from learning new things keeps it healthy as you get older [3].

So the next time you’re embarking on a daunting new project in work don’t stress, your brain will thank you for tending to it when you get through the other side.

Have you ever been left disappointed when you offer a brilliant idea at a meeting only for your point to go unnoticed?

Or a little annoyed that after playing an intensive, self-sacrificing role in a successful group project your contribution seems underappreciated?

While this feeling can sometimes be justified at others times it may be your mind playing tricks on you. This is the psychological phenomenon known as the egocentric bias. Studies have shown that there are disparities between the way we view our own performance and the way it is viewed by others [1]. We can be so focused on our own contributions to a joint enterprise that our assessment of ‘who did how much’ tends to be biased in our own favour [2].

In the workplace people can also overestimate their own abilities in doing their job when comparing themselves to their colleagues. This can even happen to professionals whose very job it is to make unbiased decisions.

In one study 155 judges in the U.S. were asked how likely their decisions were to be overturned when compared to their colleagues [3]. Or put another way, was their ‘appeal rate’ higher or lower than their colleagues? The judges thought far more highly of their own abilities than was actually the case. Over 50% of them believed that their ‘appeal rate’ was in the lowest quartile of overturned decisions compared to their colleagues. Less than 5% believed their appeal rate was in the highest quartile. Clearly these estimates don’t stack up.

In fact, this egocentricity goes far beyond the workplace. Other studies have shown that we all have a tendency to believe that we are ‘above average’ when compared to our peers. People tend to think that they have more desirable and less undesirable characteristics than other people [4]. People also tend to consider their personal risk of misfortune as being less than other people’s [5].

That’s not to say that we are all insufferable egotists. It is just that we spend all of our time viewing things from our own perspective so our own contribution naturally gets distorted. In fact, people’s egocentric bias can be tempered when they are exposed to other people’s perceptions of themselves [5].

So the next time you feel disappointed when your stellar contribution didn’t quite get the recognition you feel it deserved, perhaps reflect for a moment and talk to your colleagues about their contributions. Your own contribution will have been noticed, maybe just not to the extent you thought it should be. Take comfort in knowing you’re an important part of a solid team because, after all, we’re stronger together than alone.

References:

Gilovich, T. Medvec, V. & Savitsky, K. (2000). The Spotlight Effect in Social Judgment: An Egocentric Bias in Estimates of the Salience of One’s Own Actions and Appearance Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 78(2), 211-222.